Wireless communication has become highly popular. Every day, people all over the world communicate using wireless telephones and pagers, to name just some of the wireless applications. Wireless networks are increasingly employed to communicate non-voice information, such as stock quotes, email, and text. Wireless networks may be global and span the equipment and services of multiple service providers.
Wireless telephones have been criticized as a distraction to their users, especially while the users are driving or otherwise in transit. There have been reports of accidents resulting from distracted drivers who take their eyes off the road in order to dial their wireless phones. For this and for reasons of general convenience, efforts have been made to make dialing from wireless phones more convenient and less distracting.
One approach which addresses these concerns is to assign frequently called numbers to “speed dial” functions. Operating the speed dial function for a number causes the phone to dial the number. A limitation of this approach is that the number of speed dial functions is limited, and the user may still be distracted by the process of locating and operating the correct speed dial function for the number they wish to call.
Another approach involves electronic address books stored by the phone. Address books allow the phone user to associate names with numbers. The user locates in the address book the name of the party they wish to contact, and then causes the phone to dial the corresponding number. Again, a disadvantage is the distraction inherent in locating a name in the address book.